Placer- mining mac hi n e



I UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD v. F. DE cannon, or CHICAGO, Assrenon or ONE-HALF TO JOHN IV. PARMELEE, OFI ENGLEWOOD, ILLINOIS.

PLACER-MINING MACH'I NE.

SPEGIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No; 293,852, dated February 19, 188 4.

i I Applicationfiled May 7, 1883. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, RICHARD V. F. DE GUINON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of'Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful'Improvements in Placer-Mining Machines, which are fully set forth in the-following specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents'a side elevation, partly in section, of a machine containing my improvements; Fig. 2, an end elevation-of, the same; Fig. 8, a'detail section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line a: m, Fig. 1; Fig. 4-, a-detail longitudinal section, on the same enlarged scale, taken on the line g y, Fig. 3; Fig: 5, a detail plan of the receiver.

My invention relates to a machinefor separating gold from sand-in what istermed dry placer-mining, and is intended'to-separate gold from such placer-sands without the use of water, and by simple mechanical means, requiring hand-power only, if other. power is not readily obtainable.

I will proceed to describe in detailthe construction and operation of a machine in which I have practically embodied my invention, and will then point out definitelyin the claims 7 the special improvements which I believe to be new and wish to protect by Letters Patent.

In thedrawings, A represents the supporting-frame, upon which the operative parts of the machine are mounted. On thisframeis mounted a long troughlike receiver, B, in which the separation of the gold from the sand is performed. This structure iscomposedof two side pieces, I), which are connected by cross-bars C at their lower edges. These bars are arranged at short distances from each other, and are concave upon theirupper faces, asshown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. A strip ofrubber cloth or leather, D, is stretched Fig. 4. of the drawings.

3 of thedrawings. The strip of rubber cloth or leather is held quite firmly between the thereof being turned up, as shown in Fig. 3

of the drawings. 7

On the tops of the bars E are placed metal caps F, the upper faces of which are concave and project forwardtowardthe upper part of the machine, being also provided with concave front faces, j, which project downward on thefront side ofthe-bars E, as shown in This structure is mounted loosely on an inclined frame, 13, composedof side bars, I), and cross-bracesb the upper or front end of theframe being supported in an upright portion of the main frame, in which is also mounted a hopper, G, which is arranged to discharge the placer-sand into the-upper end-of the trough or box upon the rubber cloth or leather. The trough or box isobviously divided into a series of compartments, which are intendedto be watertight, so that, if desired, they may hold water or mercury, and it is held to its place by cleats b at the sides.

The cross-braces b? are arranged under the lower cross-bars, 0; but the alternate cross-braces are set fiatwise instead of edgew-ise, andto theseflatwise braces are pivoted U-shaped agitators H,'thebranches h of which extendunderneath the diaphragm of rubber cloth or leather oneach side of the cross-bars, and terminate 'in'enlarged heads having convex tops, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Toobtain the-necessary surface, strips I maybe attached to the'heads, extending outward toward the sides ofthe box. An arm, h, extends downward from the central portion of' each 'of these agitators, and is hinged at its lower end to a connecting rod or bar, I, extending underneath thejframe B. Obviously thereciprocation of this connecting-rod willrock the agitators, causing their roundedheads to strike the diaphragm alter- .nately oneach side of the cross-bars, thus producing a-movementofthe latter, (indicated by dotted lines-in Fig. 4' of the drawings.) This movement of the connecting-rod may be effected by any suitable mechanism.

It will be seen from I have here shown a crankwheel J, mounted on a shaft, j, and a pitinan, K, connected at one end to the crank-pin of this wheel, and at the other end to a vibrating bar or lever, L, pivoted at its lower end to a suitable support on the main frame, and at its upper end to the connecting-bar I, the pitman being pivoted to this lever between its joints.

For the purpose of driving the crank-shaft, I mount thereon a pinion, j, with which a gear-wheel, M, mounted on a shaft, 9)), is arranged to engage.

On the shaft in is a hand crank-wheel, N, and a band-wheel, N, so that this shaft can be driven by any power convenient. Obviously the rotation of this shaft will impart a similar movement to the crank-wheel, by which a reciprocating movement will be communicated to the connecting-bar I, thereby oscillating the agitators. The pin on the crank-wheel may be made adjustable in any known way, so as to regulate the throw of the connectingbar, and with it the degree of oscillation given to the agitators.

The operation of this machine is as follows: The driving mechanism for setting in motion the agitators is started and the placer-sand thrown into the hopper, whence it is discharged into the upper end of the separating-trough and successively into the lower compartments. The rocking of the agitators strikes the rubber cloth or leather on the under side between the cross-bars, thus causing a deflection upward of this diaphragm on alternate sides of the cross-bars, the sand pressing it back into a corresponding position in the opposite direction when the head of the agitator leaves it, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4c of the drawings. This vibratory movement is kept up with great rapidity, the machinery being driven so as to strike about five hundred blows per minute at each compartment. Owing to the configuration of the compartments and the fronts of the caps and the inclination of the structure, this rapid vibration of the diaphragm will cause a peculiar agitation of the sand above, turning it over from the central part of the compartment, as indicated by circular dotted lines in Fig. I of the drawings. This peculiar movement is also facilitated by the direction in which the blows are struck, which obviously is 011 a curve, owing to the oscillating movement of the agitators, and by the upward curve of the side edges of the bottom, which tends to throw the material toward the center of the compartment and prevents settling in the corners.v The turning movement of the sand produces a more complete agitation of the entire material in the compartments, and so secures a rapid and more complete separation. In this agitation the heavier material, like gold, will gradually fall to the bottom, and will remain there in each compartment, while the lighter material will be thrown up and pass over the tops of the caps into the next {compartment below, and

so on, from one compartment to another, each time undergoing the same process of agitation, thus separating and collecting the finer particles of metal and retaining them in the compartments, while the sand will finally be discharged at the lower end of the trough. Vhen the operation of the machine is stopped, the contents of the several compartments may be removed readily without disturbing thetrough; but to facilitate its removal I make the latter detachable from the frame, so that it may be taken therefrom and the compartments emptied and their contents given such subsequent treatment as may be necessary.

It will be noticed that the trough or receiver is entirely independent of the agitating mechanism and other parts of the machine, so that it may be removed even without stopping the machine, if desired, for cleaning up or any other purpose.

I have already stated that my improved machine is adapted especially for use with dry sand; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting its operation to this use, for it may be found advisable in some cases to introduce water into the compartments, and possibly in some instances mercury, in order to effect a complete separation of thegold. The machine may be operated in either of these cases in the same way as described above and with the same general results.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of the parts herein described and shown, for it is obvious that many of them may be modified, and yet the principle upon which my machine acts be still retained. I believe that I have invented a substantially new mode of treating placer-sand; hence I wish to be understood as claiming any suitable mechanism by which the operations above described may be performed. I

Having thus described my invention,whatI claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

l. A separating-box composed of a series of compartments arranged on an incline descending from the point where the material is received, and provided with flexible bottoms, in combination with mechanism for striking blows on the under side of theflexible bottom of each compartment, whereby the material is agitated and turned in the compartments, and the sand delivered from one to another, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a separating-machine for mining, a series of compartments arranged on an incline, in combination with a flexible diaphragm or bottom for the compartments, and amechanism constructed and operating to deliver blows upon the under side of the flexible bottom of each compartment in the direction of curved lines, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The receiver I3, divided into compartments, in combination with the diaphragm D,

of suitable flexible material, the rocking agitators H, and mechanism for oscillating said agitators, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The receiver B, in combination with the cross-bars O, concave upon their upper faces, the cross-bars E, arranged abovethe bars 0 and conforming thereto, the caps F, provided with concave front faces f, and the flexible bottom D, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The receiver compartments provided with a flexible bottom, in combination with the U-shaped agitators H, connecting-rod I, and mechanism whereby a reciprocating movement is given to said connecting-rod, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The flexible diaphragm D, constituting the bottom of the receiver-compartments, in combination with the U-shaped agitators H, the connecting-rod I, the pitman K, and the crank-wheel J, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. The inclined 'receix'er B, in combination with the cross-bars G and E, the flexible diaphragm D, the hopper G, and the rocking agitators H, all arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. In a'separating-maehine for mining, an independent inclined frame, in combination with an independent separating-box composed of a series of compartments provided with a flexible bottom, and adapted to be'applied to the said independent frame, an agitating mech- 

